Added 2/3/15.Selection of Glens Falls library book club for June 2015.

"This is a guide to what it feels like to be autistic. . . . In Mitchell and YosAdded 2/3/15.Selection of Glens Falls library book club for June 2015.

"This is a guide to what it feels like to be autistic. . . . In Mitchell and Yoshida’s translation, [Higashida] comes across as a thoughtful writer with a lucid simplicity that is both childlike and lyrical. . . . Higashida is living proof of something we should all remember: in every autistic child, however cut off and distant they may outwardly seem, there resides a warm, beating heart."–Financial Times (UK)

After reading a bit of the sample provided at the Goodreads page for this book, I feel that I would find the book too disturbing to read... too sad. The boy's condition, mentally, is extremely disabling....more

UPDATE 3/21/14:SEE THE FOLLOWING PAGE FOR MORE INFO about this book and about thinking in pictures:http://www.grandin.com/inc/visual.thi...Excerpt:Chapter 1: Autism and Visual Thought by Dr. Temple Grandin"I THINK IN PICTURES. Words are like a second language to me. I translate both spoken and written words into full-color movies, complete with sound, which run like a VCR tape in my head. When somebody speaks to me, his words are instantly translated into pictures. Language-based thinkers often find this phenomenon difficult to understand, but in my job as an equipment designer for the livestock industry, visual thinking is a tremendous advantage."

I believe that the above link is a way to read this book online....more

This book increased my understanding of the way the brain works. It's fascinating!

The authoAdded 12/4/13.

I listened to the audio version of this book.

This book increased my understanding of the way the brain works. It's fascinating!

The author, Temple Grandin, is a highly educated autistic person. In the book, by referring to a large number of detailed studies, she explains how different brains work different ways. Temple herself sees specific pictures in her brain when different words are mentioned. She says that some people are picture-thinkers like herself. Others are more verbal in their thinking and others are more pattern-oriented. The pattern-oriented people are able to easily recognize patterns in a string of events. So they are good at analysis.

Grandin explains that her short term memory is very poor. She cannot remember a string of verbal directions. So she has had to compensate for that. On the other hand, after she has looked at a scene, she can draw it in fine detail accurately. So her long term "picture" memory is better than her short term memory. Brain scans show that the portion of her brain which remembers what she has seen is larger than other parts of her brain related to memory.

After reading this book, I now understand why I myself cannot handle too many characters in a book. My short term memory won't hold them all in my head at once. Other people, with better short term memories, can handle more characters.

Also, I can now understand why certain people are so good at chess. Their brains can hold more information at once. So they can picture several moves ahead, enabling them to build a strategy for moving the chess pieces.

The book gets very technical when describing the various studies of the brain, especially when related to autism.

Grandin advocates a new way of studying autism. That's where the word "spectrum" come in. There is a broad range of types of autism. Instead of concentrating on causes of autism when diagnosing cases, she advocates looking at the various ways autistic people think or function and the various ways they behave. These differences can be seen on a certain "spectrum" or scale. She advocates concentrating on the advantages which autism gives to the thinking of certain autistic people. She herself has capitalized on her advantages.

Toward the end of the book, Grandin lists the different occupations which different autistic brains lend themselves to. The book is a very optimistic view of the problem of autism.

I recommend the audible version of this book. It was read/narrated by Andrea Gallo who is very pleasant to listen to. See the following page for more about the audible version and the book itself:http://www.audible.com/pd/Science-Tec...You can hear a short sample at the above-linked page.The summary says:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"The Autistic Brain is the first book by Temple Grandin that will be neither a memoir nor a book on animals. As always, Temple's ability to cut through the jungle of information and make the science clear is evident with each listen; her skills as a scientist and her original thinking offer some significant new insights into the understanding of autism."Temple Grandin teaches listeners the science of the autistic brain, and with it the history and sociology of autism. By being autistic--by being able to look from the inside out and from the outside in--the author's insights are not just unique, they're groundbreaking. According to Temple, our understanding of autism has been perhaps fundamentally wrong for the past 70 years."~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Below is the summary from my local library online catalog:================================== "Temple Grandin has been weaving her own experience with remarkable new discoveries; she introduces the neuro-imaging advances and genetic research that link brain science to behavior, even sharing her own brain scans from numerous studies. We meet the scientists and self-advocates who are introducing innovative theories of what causes, how we diagnose, and how best to treat autism."==================================

I listened to the audio version of this book in 2009. I remember it being very interesting, giving much insight into how people with Asperger's see thI listened to the audio version of this book in 2009. I remember it being very interesting, giving much insight into how people with Asperger's see their world....more

I watched a film adapted from this book, _Emergence_.Below is a copy of my comment (at my group) concerning the film:=================================I watched a film adapted from this book, _Emergence_.Below is a copy of my comment (at my group) concerning the film:===============================================================I just finished watching the Netflix DVD of "Temple Grandin". I gave it 5 stars out of 5. It won many Emmy Awards. I found it amazing."Temple Grandin" (2010)http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Temple_G..."Claire Danes stars as Temple Grandin, a brilliant young woman coping with the stigma of autism ..."

From Wiki:==================================================="During Temple's college years, she conceptualized the squeeze machine, which was designed for herself because she had a sensory integration dysfunction and disliked physical affection by people. The machine hugs both sides of her to calm her down, as she controls the pressure, and it makes her relaxed whenever she becomes tense."FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_G...====================================================...more

RE: _The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time_ by Mark Haddon

Interesting insights into the nature of Asperger's Syndrome.

As the review at AmaRE: _The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time_ by Mark Haddon

Interesting insights into the nature of Asperger's Syndrome.

As the review at Amazon says: "This one is a must-read".

The story is written from the perspective of a 15 year old British boy who has Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism. We see the boy's point of view in everything: his dealings with his parents, his neighbors, his pet rat, as well as his experiences travelling alone in the subways of London. It's engrossing to read as he relates his unusual adventures and family relationships. The plot, which starts out as a mystery, moves you easily forward, especially as told by the boy in a weird autistic style. His autistic point of view and observations are fascinating.

From the book flap: "At turns funny, heartbreaking, and compulsively readable, this novel is sure to find a cherished place on readers' book shelves."

Don't miss this book! It's the December selection of the Tuesday Afternoon book discussion group at our public library. An easy read too. ...more